Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2007-08: Matt Hackett began the season with the Windsor Spitfires, appearing in four games. He was traded to the Plymouth Whalers in November of 2007, finishing the season in a backup role for the Whalers. Hackett played in 22 games total for the season. He was 1-1-0-0 for the Spitfires while 4.61 goals-against average and a .855 save percentage. He played in 18 games for the Whalers, putting up a 6-9-0-1 record. His numbers improved with the Whalers, where he had a goals-against average of 3.44 and a save percentage of .901. He was not selected in the 2008 draft.

2008-09: Hackett laid claim to the Whalers’ crease by November and compiled a 34-15-3-0 record behind a 3.04 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He appeared in 11 playoff games for the Whalers, posting a 6-5-0-0 record in those games. Hackett compiled a 3.01 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in the postseason. He was voted the Whalers’ Playoff MVP following the club’s ouster. Matt is the nephew of long-time NHL netminder Jeff Hackett. Hackett was chosen by the Minnesota Wild in the third round, 77th overall, of the 2009 NHL Draft.

2009-10: Hackett appeared in a career-high 56 games for the Plymouth Whalers in his third OHL season and was named to the league’s Second All-Star Team. Hackett finished with a record of 33-21 with three of the losses coming in overtime. He had four shutouts and finished with a 2.62 GAA and .925 save percentage as the Whalers finished second in the West Division behind Memorial Cup-champion Windsor. In eight playoff games he was 3-4 and had a 3.36 GAA and .919 save percentage. Hackett signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild in March 2010.

2010-11: Hackett gradually took over the starting duties for the Wild’s AHL affiliate Houston as a 20-year-old and played well in the AHL playoffs as the Aeros reached the Calder Cup finals. In 45 regular season games he was 23-20 with two shutouts and had a 2.37 GAA and .916 save percentage as the Aeros finished second in the West Division. Hackett started all 24 playoff games and was 14-10 with a 2.50 GAA and .903 save percentage.

2011-12: Hackett made his NHL debut with Minnesota in December – replacing an injured Josh Harding two minutes into a game with the Sharks and stopping all 34 shots he faced in a 2-1 Wild win. He got a win in his first NHL start two nights later before being sent back to AHL Houston. He appeared in 12 games with Minnesota during three separate call-ups and was 3-6 with a 2.37 goals against and .922 save percentage. Hackett appeared in a team-high 44 games for Houston and was 20-23 with six losses coming in overtime. He had one shutout for the Aeros and had a 2.38 goals against and .917 save percentage. Houston finished fourth in the West Division; falling to Oklahoma City in four games in a best-of-five first round playoff series. Hackett was 0-2 in two playoff games, being relieved by veteran Mike Brodeur in the second period in both starts; finishing with a 5.93 goals against and .897 save percentage.

2012-13: Hackett allowed 5 goals on 33 shots in his only NHL start of the season— Minnesota’s 7-4 loss to Dallas on March 29th. He spent most of the season with the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Houston before being acquired by Buffalo along with Johan Larsson on April 3rd as part of the trade that sent Jason Pominville to Minnesota. Hackett was 19-20-3 in 43 games with the Aeros and had a 2.66 goals against and .907 save percentage. He played three games for Buffalo affiliate Rochester following the trade and was 3-0 with a 1.62 goals against and .955 save percentage. The Americans finished second in the North Division and were swept by first-place Toronto in the first round. Hackett started one playoff game, a 2-0 loss, allowing 2 goals on 20 shots. He was re-signed by Buffalo to a one-year contract as a restricted free agent in July, 2013.

Talent Analysis

Hackett has good size and combines that with athleticism and good reflexes. He rarely loses his composure on the ice. Hackett is the nephew of former NHL goalie Jeff Hackett.

Future

Photo: Defenseman Alex Lepkowski had a strong playoff run with the Barrie Colts of the OHL. The 20-year-old was a defensive mainstay for the Colts, who finished one win away from a berth in the 2013 Memorial Cup. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL images)

After finishing last in the Northeast Division for the first time since 2004 and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Buffalo Sabres are hitting the reset button. The first move was saying goodbye to head coach Lindy Ruff after 1,165 games behind the bench, then shipping captain Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild for two prospects and two picks.

Photo: Jonas Brodin is one of several prospects making an impact for first-place Minnesota, having stepped directly into a top-pairing role in his rookie season (courtesy of Kathleen Hinkel/Icon SMI)

The Wild's controlled rebuilding process is entering a new phase this season, introducing its top prospects into the NHL in sheltered roles. Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, Jason Zucker, Johan Larsson, and Mikael Granlund have all made their NHL debuts, with various degrees of immersion and success. The Minnesota Wild has been careful to balance experience and youth this year, but there are plenty of players in the organization who may be asked to grow quickly in the next seasons to make the most of the opportunity at hand.

Photo: Defenseman Jonas Brodin, who has missed most of the first half of the season with a broken collarbone, is one of the high-profile prospects making their debut in Houston this season. (courtesy of Juan DeLeon/Icon SMI)

Although many people in and around the world of hockey were negatively affected by the 2012 NHL lockout, the Minnesota Wild was no doubt one team that saw a silver lining. With a cluster of players around the same age needing a developmental year or three in the AHL, the lockout saved the team from hard personnel decisions while also giving these young players a great opportunity to learn to play the pro game together at a high level of competition.

Photo: Johan Larsson is one of the many top prospects spending the 2012-13 season with the AHL's Houston Aeros. (courtesy of Juan DeLeon/Icon SMI)

The Wild is still in the midst of a controlled rebuilding process. While the team has added immediate help at the NHL level for some areas of deficiency, most notably an elite top-pairing defenseman in Ryan Suter, an underrated top-four defenseman in Tom Gilbert, and an all-star scoring winger in Zach Parise, a few barren years at the draft kept the team from contention recently. Very strong drafts in 2010 and 2011, punctuated by the trade for Charlie Coyle, have put the team in excellent shape to be contenders soon. The core might be able to take advantage of the NHL lockout to grow together at the AHL level. Part of the Minnesota mentality is knowing there is a long winter ahead to test for weaknesses. With luck, this group of prospects will emerge strong and battle-tested.

Mikael Granlund will make his North American debut in 2012-13 following another year of international success and a top-ten finish in the SM-liiga scoring race. (courtesy of Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

The Wild's system was bolstered again at the 2012 NHL Draft, with Red Deer defenseman Matt Dumba immediately jumping into the top five. While the team did not graduate many players last season, the team willingly parted ways with a few prospects that did not look to be part of the program going forward. None of the 2012 draftees are very close to cracking an NHL roster, but several have enough upside to be included here.